New Skoda Octavia vs Hyundai Elantra

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Skoda’s new Octavia is an important car. Not just for the Czech carmaker, but for consumers as well who’ve been restricted to just a handful of saloons at this price point. Hyundai’s Elantra has been dominating this segment for a while now and is the car to beat. This feature-packed saloon has consistently averaged about 350 units per month over the last year and though the number is small in relative terms, it’s ahead of the rest. It’s good-looking, well-equipped and quite spacious – all the ingredients that make it a best-seller. The Laura (which is actually the second-generation Octavia) has always been a solid car but it managed to clock just half of the Elantra’s figures over the same period. Now, back with its original name, the new Octavia is an impressive car and we reckon it has all the makings of a best-seller. So, how does this next iteration compare with the segment best? We spent some time with the manual diesel variants of both and this is what we discovered.

Design

When it comes to their design philosophies, these cars are like chalk and cheese. The new Octavia is minimalist, and quite reserved in its design when compared to the bold Elantra. Its clean-cut looks are inoffensive yet appealing. But, you may find the car’s rear a bit too similar to that of the cheaper Rapid – diluting a bit of the car’s premium feel. On the other hand, of all the Hyundais, the Elantra wears the brand’s ‘Fluidic’ uniform the best. The bold coupe-like design entails nicely proportioned bulges and creases that are well proportioned, and the Elantra looks striking from all angles.

Engine and Drivability

Here, the Octavia has a decisive edge. Despite its 65kg disadvantage over the Hyundai, the extra 400cc of the 2.0-litre diesel motor makes it a much quicker machine than the Elantra. For instance, 0-100kph is dispatched in 8.54sec that is a good two seconds ahead of the Elantra’s time. And it’s not just flatout performance either, the higher torque coupled with a wider spread means that you don’t have to fiddle with the gearbox too much (not that it’s a bad ‘box). The 32.6kgm of torque comes in from as early as 1500rpm and propels you forward with a nice linear pull till about 3200rpm, after which it gradually trails off. The gearbox has very well defined gates and the clutch is relatively light too. On the highways, the tall sixth gear takes full advantage of the wide powerband, making the Octy a great long distance cruiser. And if the mood takes you, the Skoda is more than open to some enthusiastic use. On the downside, the engine retains its gravelly character from the Laura and the drone doesn’t let you forget that the motor feeds on a diet of diesel. Another irritant is the fact that you need to give the car a few revs while taking off, since it has a propensity to stall.

The diesel Elantra, on the other hand, uses the same 1.6-litre 126bhp, variable-geometry turbo (VGT) engine as the Verna, but with shorter gear ratios. Compared to the Octavia, the engine demonstrates a fair bit of lag under 2000rpm and that makes you use the throttle more liberally at lower revs. City driving isn’t as effortless as we would have liked, as this smaller engine simply doesn’t have the low-end grunt of the 2.0-litre Skoda. Moreover, the heavy clutch and very noticeable vibrations at idling further dent the city driving experience. To enjoy driving the Elantra, you need to be on a highway. Once the boost builds up at 2000rpm, there’s a nice surge of power and the saloon moves forward with more than adequate gusto. Cruising at about 120kph in 6th gear keeps the engine spinning silently at about 2000rpm (the meat of the engine’s powerband) and here, the car responds almost immediately to part throttle responses. On its own, the Elantra isn’t weak in its overall performance but when compared to the Octavia, it just can’t match up in terms of tractability and outright performance.